Ever think about doing an ironman? Crazy right? I thought about it when I was in high school and recently decided to go for it. The problem is that I have had pain in my knees and IT bands when trying to run or bike for the last 20 years. Well, I finally decided that enough was enough. I wanted to get to the bottom of this knee pain. I just want to b able to go out and run or ride a bike whenever I want without suffering pain. So I had to dig into the literature, do a lot of physical therapy, and I started training. The key to moving forward was first figuring out what the problem is. And at the moment it is a significant muscle weakness and imbalance. Specifically I have weak glutes and hamstrings. Runners and people who haven’t been exercising much might have the same. But it’s very hard to figure out what the problem is. Now that I know, I started doing the therapy. And the training. I’m just getting started.
Here is what I am working on at the moment:
- Should I get a coach
- What kind of bike should I get
- How will I keep healthy
- When will I sign up for a race?
- How will I balance training with a full time job and a family?
Check back in with me to see if I have been able to answer these questions.
How about you? Ever want to do an ironman? Ever have problems with pain? How did you overcome it?